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Kurma Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 49

Yuga-Dharma: The Four Ages, Decline of Dharma, and the Rise of Social Order

द्वापरेष्वथ विद्यन्ते मतिभेदाः सदा नृणाम् / रागो लोभस्तथा युद्धं तत्त्वानामविनिश्चयः

dvāpareṣvatha vidyante matibhedāḥ sadā nṛṇām / rāgo lobhastathā yuddhaṃ tattvānāmaviniścayaḥ

परंतु द्वापरयुगात मनुष्यांमध्ये नेहमी मतिभेद आढळतात; राग, लोभ व युद्ध उत्पन्न होते, आणि तत्त्वांचा दृढ निश्चय होत नाही।

द्वापरेषुin Dvāpara (age)
द्वापरेषु:
अधिकरण (Adhikaraṇa/Location-time)
TypeNoun
Rootद्वापर (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; अधिकरणे (in the Dvāpara ages/periods)
अथthen/now
अथ:
सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअथ (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भ (particle: then/now)
विद्यन्तेare found/exist
विद्यन्ते:
क्रिया (Kriyā/Verb)
TypeVerb
Rootविद् (धातु)
Formलट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन
मति-भेदाःdifferences of opinion
मति-भेदाः:
कर्ता (Karta/Subject)
TypeNoun
Rootमति (प्रातिपदिक) + भेद (प्रातिपदिक)
Formषष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मतेः भेदाः); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन
सदाalways
सदा:
सम्बन्ध/काल (Time adjunct)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootसदा (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)
नृणाम्of men/people
नृणाम्:
सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
TypeNoun
Rootनृ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन
रागःpassion/attachment
रागः:
कर्ता (Karta/Subject; item in list)
TypeNoun
Rootराग (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
लोभःgreed
लोभः:
कर्ता (Karta/Subject; item in list)
TypeNoun
Rootलोभ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
तथाand also/likewise
तथा:
सम्बन्ध (Connector)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतथा (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; समुच्चय/तुल्यतार्थ (also/likewise)
युद्धम्war
युद्धम्:
कर्ता (Karta/Subject; item in list)
TypeNoun
Rootयुद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
तत्त्वानाम्of principles/realities
तत्त्वानाम्:
सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
TypeNoun
Rootतत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन
अविनिश्चयःindeterminacy/lack of ascertainment
अविनिश्चयः:
कर्ता (Karta/Subject; item in list)
TypeNoun
Rootअविनिश्चय (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Lord Kūrma (Vishnu) instructing sages (Kurma Purana yuga-dharma discourse context)

Primary Rasa: karuna

Secondary Rasa: raudra

D
Dvapara Yuga
T
tattva

FAQs

Indirectly: it says that in Dvāpara people fail to decisively ascertain tattvas, implying that clear discrimination of the Self (ātma-tattva) from transient passions and opinions becomes difficult and requires disciplined discernment.

The verse itself diagnoses the problem—rāga, lobha, and tattva-confusion. In the Kurma Purana’s broader Shaiva–Vaishnava synthesis, this points to Yoga and jñāna-based disciplines (tattva-vicāra, self-restraint, and devotion to Īśvara) as the corrective to mental division and conflict.

It does not name Shiva or Vishnu explicitly; however, within the Kurma Purana’s unified Īśvara-teaching framework, the remedy to “tattvānām aviniścayaḥ” is knowledge and devotion to the one Supreme Lord revered through both Shaiva and Vaishnava lenses.